Quick Reaction: Knicks 103, Wizards 65

Yawn. Hit a post up from the elbow. Mmm, what time is it anyway? Drive the lane when they overplay. Really, did someone spike my Gatorade with Tryptofan? Pass out of the Double. Seriously, it’s like I’m at a Warhol Film Festival! ‘Melo wasn’t tested, and dispatched whichever Singleton was guarding him with ease, letting lose with a few KG-style yawps after putting home a bully-boy rebound to end the 1st and 2nd quarter and all of the solid play that we’ve seen during the reign of Son of Wood was present, but all in all, ‘Melo looked more bemused by the pathetic, sopping-wet paper towel level of resistance that was put in his path

On a night like tonight, one might hope that Landry would put his cardiovascular exertion to good use working some of the considerable kinks out of his ungainly shot, but alas, ’twas not to be. He did a nifty job sticking with Washington’s perimeter shooters (for lack of a better term) and had a few nice ‘bounds n’ dimes, but some were hoping (Okay, the Silverman household at least was nail-chewingly hoping) that he’d unearth his dormant-longer-than-the-Kraken perimeter game.

This recap may start to get a bit repetitive (not to be repetitive) but Chandler’s usual blood-curdling intensity wasn’t present tonight. He doinked some easy shots at the rim and even committed Mark Jackson’s infamous “Hand Down, Man Down” sin on one Kevin Seraphin bucket. Not that it made a jot of difference in the game, but it was almost shocking, like hearing your Mom say, “Yeah whatever. Don’t worry about cleaning your room. It’s cool. Wanna blaze up?”

See, now THAT’s how you make use of an opponent who looked more enervated than a paranoid schizophrenic who’s been pumped to the gills with enough Nembutal and Seconal to fell a bull elephant who just discovered his elephant-wife in bed with another, far less attractive elephant. He was moving better than we’d seen in weeks and drilling his outside shot with aplomb.. Once again, tonight’s opponent is no measuring stick, but if B-Dizzle can be even a semblance of his former self, it opens up a number of options on offense, mainly the semi-shelved pick and roll with Tyson (or even, dare I dream, STAT). In any case, 18 points on 7-9 from the field certainly made for a sweet 34th B-day present to himself.

Is Shump’s ankle okay? Really, that’s all that matters at this point. If the Gods take Shump…oh cruel, indifferent world!

Mike Bibby, PG23 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 6 PTS | +19

Evidently the stench of the Cleveland Steamer the Wiz dumped unceremoniously on the chest of interim coach Randy Wittman was potent/pungent enough to revive Thanatos the former All-Star Point Guard here. Again, when drawing conclusions, treat the Wizards like a high-sodium diet, but it was swell to see Bibbytos hit open shots.

I’m still tickled by the reception the Garden crowd has when Novak enters the game, let alone the sense of giddy anticipation whenever he launches from deep. I get it — very few things will make me swing my fists at imaginary ninjas and squeal with glee like Novakaine banging home a clutch trey. I’ve been waiting for him to dupe an opponent into fouling him after one of his trademark pump fakes. Granted, fish-hooking the Wizards is as easy as playing “got your nose” with a dull-witted fat kid. The off-balance, fired from behind the basket two that scraped the roof after ploinking off the rim was an act of pure Wonka-esque, fizzy-lifting drink-y whimsy.

You know all of those ugly bricks that Earl threw up in Chicago and through the first three quarters in Milwaukee? Well, tonight, they all went in. Solid defense and some swell passes all added to the frothy mix of goodness, even if the opponent was (you know the words) crappy. That’s all fine and dandy and if it leads to a week-long hot streak, cran-tastic. Otherwise, I’d prefer he hoarded all of those fadeaway twenty footers for a Miami and Boston.

ince there really isn’t much to say about Jorts’ performance tonight for good or for ill, here’s something profoundly disturbing — Now that he’s shaved his head, he’s starting to bear a creepy resemblance to a late-period Travolta

The horror…the horror!

Four Things We Saw

Here’s how bad it got. John Wall rattled home a highlight alley-oop dunk on Baron Davis’ punim with 7:03 left in the 3rd quarter. You could make passionate, tender love to the woman of your dreams, enjoy a cigarette with said dream-woman and even figure out a wholly plausible excuse to leave her bedroom in the time it took before Shelvin Mack next finished a layup for Washington with 6:41 left in the 4th . 12 minutes without a basket. For reals. That’s just…well…the Washington Generals would’ve made a more formidable foe.

That said, the Knicks did play decent defense and did a good job of putting the clamps on John Wall, limiting his one-man fast break opportunities and forcing him into the outside shots that are clearly not his forte. This year’s Knick model has let more than their share of lesser lights hang around in games, let alone the ghastly collapse in Indianapolis. So it was nice to see them put Washington away early. It wasn’t much fun to watch, mind you. It was like witnessing Animal Control hauling a cancerous, mangy, blind, ungainly, rabid dog out back and shooting it. Speaking of which, here’s Clyde with some cute dogs that were shlepped to MSG because the Southern Illinois mascot is the “Salukis” which evidently is a breed of dog and…yeah, I don’t really get it either. Still, cute!

For those who didn’t watch the MSG broadcast, at one point in the fourth, the MSG crowd started chanting, “For-ty Se-ven,” mocking the number the Conjurers were stuck on for a seeming eternity. Mean. Just mean. I get that one might be peeved at shelling out 100 smackers or so, expecting to witness an actual NBA matchup and instead being treated to a glorified scrimmage/public evisceration. Still, ow.

On a much brighter note, tonight, the Sixers lost to the Prokorovs, the Old Towne Hoops Team was felled by the right proper Canadians and the Van Gundys sans Howard dropped another one to the Dirrrty South. Yay! The ‘Bockers are now tied for 7th place in the Eastern Conference and movin’ up. Miami on Sunday and Boston on Tuesday await, so the time has come to put away childish, Wizardly things. Onward and upward!

jon abbey:
not only is NY 9-0 at home under Woodson, but the average winning margin is just over 20 (!!!).

remember all the hand-wringing earlier in the season about how we couldn’t protect home base because teams were coming into MSG super hyped to play us…..I think really it was just our complete disregard for playing hard (i.e. amar’e stoudemire, carmelo anthony).

jon abbey:
not only is NY 9-0 at home under Woodson, but the average winning margin is just over 20 (!!!).

It’s crazy how many blowouts they have had. It must be more than in the whole previous existence of the board. Wins that is.
I never knew there wad a difference in elephant attractiveness but the line did generate a chuckle.

Doug: Watching Nuggets/Lakers, what happened to Gallo’s three point shot? It’s a flat footed line drive now.Also, Faried is getting eaten alive by Gasol and Bynum on both ends of the floor.

I’m not sure, but they’re trying to run more of the offense through him. So far he’s been really good at neither making a play for a teammate or getting his own on the pnr, instead he holds the ball, passing it to a teammate 4 feet behind the line with 6 seconds on the clock — it makes him look very attractive to advanced stats, but it kills his team in the half-court.

danvt: I really appreciate how JR doesn’t give a damn about his overall shooting percentage. He was just launching willy nilly in garbage time. Could have passed and made his night look more “efficient”.His acquisition is looking better and better.Playoffs!

You haven’t seen anything.

He used to start games 4-5 or 5-6, get up 20-30, and proceed to take 26-30 footers the rest of the night…. If he had Gallo’s mindset he’d probably make more money…. But he really is fearless and when his team’s up he tries to put on a show.

ruruland: I’m not sure, but they’re trying to run more of the offense through him. So far he’s been really good at neither making a play for a teammate or getting his own on the pnr, instead he holds the ball, passing it to a teammate 4 feet behind the line with 6 seconds on the clock — it makes him look very attractive to advanced stats, but it kills his team in the half-court.

I haven’t seen any of his big output games, but he definitely seems way better in box scores than when you actually watch him.

ruruland: I’m not sure, but they’re trying to run more of the offense through him. So far he’s been really good at neither making a play for a teammate or getting his own on the pnr, instead he holds the ball, passing it to a teammate 4 feet behind the line with 6 seconds on the clock — it makes him look very attractive to advanced stats, but it kills his team in the half-court.

Honestly, he is a player like Fields who runs on confidence…right now he doesn’t seem to have a lot of confidence in his 3-point shot. He is taking the ball to the hoop nearly every touch, and that is great because he is good at drawing fouls with his ridiculous flailing attempts…but honestly the defense is going to wise up unless he starts to actually shoot 3’s!

Even Al know not going to be same.
“After morning practice, Harrington said the knee will limit his explosiveness and he may not be able to box out and rebound with the same energy he typically does.”

Harrington not exactly PG. Deep down only Lin know, but Lin game is driving the basket and creating scoring opportunities. But even on one leg probably be better then TD or Bibby. Woodson kind of call him out for not sticking through the season.

art vandelay: Honestly, he is a player like Fields who runs on confidence…right now he doesn’t seem to have a lot of confidence in his 3-point shot. He is taking the ball to the hoop nearly every touch, and that is great because he is good at drawing fouls with his ridiculous flailing attempts…but honestly the defense is going to wise up unless he starts to actually shoot 3?s!

art vandelay: Honestly, he is a player like Fields who runs on confidence…right now he doesn’t seem to have a lot of confidence in his 3-point shot. He is taking the ball to the hoop nearly every touch, and that is great because he is good at drawing fouls with his ridiculous flailing attempts…but honestly the defense is going to wise up unless he starts to actually shoot 3?s!

He had two drives tonight. He has a very nice, simple, efficient game, but he’s never going to get better and the more he’s asked to do the more he’s going to get exposed because simply doesn’t have much in the scoring toolbox.

He’s a solid complementary player on a good team. But, at times, he actually hurts the Nuggets half-court offense when he’s asked to create for himself or others. Considering the Nuggets sorely lack in those categories in the half-court, this would be the opportunity for him to get better. I just don’t see the game there though.

JC Knickfan: Even Al know not going to be same.“After morning practice, Harrington said the knee will limit his explosiveness and he may not be able to box out and rebound with the same energy he typically does.”Harrington not exactly PG. Deep down only Lin know, but Lin game is driving the basket and creating scoring opportunities. But even on one leg probably be better then TD or Bibby. Woodson kind of call him out for not sticking through the season.

What I don’t like is his insinuations that he really isn’t going to try to return this year because it could mess up the chemistry. I’m not sure if he really understand how many opportunities you’re going to get to a play on a potentially really good team and make a playoff run.

ruruland: He had two drives tonight. He has a very nice, simple, efficient game, but he’s never going to get better and the more he’s asked to do the more he’s going to get exposed because simply doesn’t have much in the scoring toolbox.

He’s a solid complementary player on a good team. But, at times, he actually hurts the Nuggets half-court offense when he’s asked to create for himself or others. Considering the Nuggets sorely lack in those categories in the half-court, this would be the opportunity for him to get better. I just don’t see the game there though.

I’m amused by the fact that you really expect Carmelo Anthony, 27, to start playing consistently better than his career averages while Danilo Gallinari, 23, is a finished product already.

Bruno Almeida: I’m amused by the fact that you really expect Carmelo Anthony, 27, to start playing consistently better than his career averages while Danilo Gallinari, 23, is a finished product already.

Right, but the efficiency improvements with Melo will have more to do with the pieces around him and the ability to get a higher percentage of easy looks created by others (he’ll have his most efficient years because he’ll have a penetrating point guard. and he’s never had that in combination with his 3pt shooting)

He already is arguably one of the 4-5 most complete offensive players in the game and I don’t expect him to really add anything.

What I’m talking about with Gallo is a guy who hasn’t demonstrated anything other than the ability to hit spot-up 3’s, drive to the basket when teams close on him, and get out in transition ahead of the defense.

He does those 3 things pretty well but I haven’t seen any demonstrable growth in other facets. They’re trying to use him more in the pnr; that’s where they’re trying to develop him.

ok, I understand your points, but for a guy who criticizes so much the “advanced stats” perspective, you seem way too deterministic sometimes.

and talking about Faried as a “garbage scorer” when he’s facing quite possibly the best front court in the game is pretty easy (and yet he has 6 rebounds already, nobody else on his team has more than 3, 4 offensive, and has 2 steals), but I didn’t see any of you guys posting when he dropped 18/16 over Garnett not long ago, for example.

the guy is still a rookie and is playing really well, and yet, out of spite for the “statistical approach”, every time he makes one mistake he gets killed by you guys.

Bruno Almeida: ok, I understand your points, but for a guy who criticizes so much the “advanced stats” perspective, you seem way too deterministic sometimes.and talking about Faried as a “garbage scorer” when he’s facing quite possibly the best front court in the game is pretty easy (and yet he has 6 rebounds already, nobody else on his team has more than 3, 4 offensive, and has 2 steals), but I didn’t see any of you guys posting when he dropped 18/16 over Garnett not long ago, for example.the guy is still a rookie and is playing really well, and yet, out of spite for the “statistical approach”, every time he makes one mistake he gets killed by you guys.

Garbage scorer is not a pejorative. He has no offensive skills outside of a right-handed running mini-hook shot.

I have no idea if he’ll develop offensive skills or not. Some guys simply can’t. If he can add a 10-15 foot jump shot and a few inside moves he’ll be better (and less efficient overal of course). But I don’t think his size will ever allow him to be a proficient back to the basket guy because he’ll never be able to shoot over the top of the defense.

Which leaves him to develop a face-up game. Right now he can;t really dribble. He’s certainly athletic and quick enough to develop one though, but he has an unbelievably long way to go.

Faried is playing great. He is one of the most entertaining players in the game already, and obviously is a great rebounder, great athlete, with one of the best motors in the game.

ruruland: What I don’t like is his insinuations that he really isn’t going to try to return this year because it could mess up the chemistry. I’m not sure if he really understand how many opportunities you’re going to get to a play on a potentially really good team and make a playoff run.

Ruru, completely agree. I don’t know if linsanity got to his head or what. But opportunities like this are far and few. I have a medical background. I’ve had 3 knee surgeries due to bball. I had meniscul repair just like Lin. Also had ACL repair, and regular arthroscopic surgery. The meniscul repair was something that I bounced back from quickly. Lin could absolutely be available by the 1st round with the kind of rehab he is getting. I was discussing this very issue with several of my taiwanese buddies from queens. They are all very disappointed in him. He also could have done aggressive rehab and opted not to have surgery. Nobody wants him to do something heroic like brandon roy and hurt the rest of his career. But one gets the sense that he is being very selfish in this entire matter and that is what bothers me the most.

llcoolbp: Ruru, completely agree. I don’t know if linsanity got to his head or what. But opportunities like this are far and few. I have a medical background. I’ve had 3 knee surgeries due to bball. I had meniscul repair just like Lin. Also had ACL repair, and regular arthroscopic surgery. The meniscul repair was something that I bounced back from quickly. Lin could absolutely be available by the 1st round with the kind of rehab he is getting. I was discussing this very issue with several of my taiwanese buddies from queens. They are all very disappointed in him. He also could have done aggressive rehab and opted not to have surgery. Nobody wants him to do something heroic like brandon roy and hurt the rest of his career. But one gets the sense that he is being very selfish in this entire matter and that is what bothers me the most.

Good post. I hope he changes his mind. How long did it take for you to come back?

ruruland: Good post. I hope he changes his mind. How long did it take for you to come back?

I was 25 when I suffered the torn meniscus. Had surgery to clean it out and repair the torn meniscus (left knee). Was running within 3 weeks. I played ball that summer (had surgery in April). I was by no means a great athlete at the time. I probably could have starting playing again a little earlier with better rehab, but I was in med school at the time and final exams took precedent. Lin would be in better shape going into the surgery and would have better rehab then I did.

My Acl repair was at age 29. I started playing ball 6 months after the surgery. I’m 36 now, and still play pick up 7 years post op. I just hope Lin is going all out to get back on the court. You really can blow that knee out anytime. Or it might hold up for years. Like you said, opportunities like this, are once in a lifetime.

a strong finish in these last seven games would also have the irrelevant yet satisfying effect of knocking down our #1 pick that’s going to Houston a few more notches. right now we’re tied for the 15th best record in the league, but that would likely jump a few more spots with a 6-1 finish.

1) Tyson Chandler (at a post game interview) about Lin: He’s tough, he gets beaten up by opponents every game but still go out there aggressive, has to be feeling a lot of pain for him to not play and make choice of surgery.

2) Jared Jeffries (Ruocco&Lundberg intvw 4/13): don’t want Lin to rush back, played so well, young player @ early part of career, should not jeopardize longevity of his career, anybody who knows Lin knows he truly loves basketball & playing w/ teammates, would be 100% out there for team if he can & wants to be @ playoffs

3) Lin about knee & chemistry w/ team: pain affecting ability to cut & jump which is bread & butter of his game & what knicks need from him, look at how Derrick Rose affected flow of Bulls game with Knicks & see how a rusty & not 100% healthy PG can affect game.

4) Timetable for comeback: We really don’t know, time frame is considered reasonable coming from experts, when Lin was being listed as day-to-day but ended up actually needing surgery there was a whole media kerfunkle complete with conspiracy theories about playoff tickets, I think Lin in response to that has decided to give the most conservative time frame so that people don’t feel bamboozled.

5) Would you rather have two point guards who could fall apart any day heading to the playoffs, or other possible scenario: one who is dealing with injuries but getting used to playtime after months of inactivity (Baron) and another 99% healthy (1% rust from not playing) point guard.

I think it’s unfair to attack Lin for not rushing back. There are so many factors to consider. First of all, every injury is different so while some people might recover quickly from this type of injury, we can’t be certain of how Lin will respond to treatment. Second, knee injuries are serious and scary things, especially for players who’s games are predicated on slashing and quickness. Third, Lin is about to become a free agent, it makes no sense for him to put his career in danger at a critical juncture such as this one. Lin is finally getting a chance to stick around in the league. Unless you’ve talked to Jeremy and he’s said “yeah, I’m totally fine, I could play if I wanted to,” then it’s really not fair to him to criticize him.

“Right, but the efficiency improvements with Melo will have more to do with the pieces around him and the ability to get a higher percentage of easy looks created by others (he’ll have his most efficient years because he’ll have a penetrating point guard. and he’s never had that in combination with his 3pt shooting)

He already is arguably one of the 4-5 most complete offensive players in the game and I don’t expect him to really add anything.”

I nominate you for secretary of the department of wishful thinking…

Remind me again, what is the definition of a complete offensive player? Is it.a guy who can score every way except efficiently?

Melo, more than most other players, seems to get his own rebounds a few times a game and often converts them into baskets or FTs. as ruru and I have discussed before, this gives him an artificial boost in his rebounds, but also makes his scoring less efficient than it actually is (there is no difference in reality between making a shot and missing/rebounding/making, but they look different in the box score).

this is one of many problems with current basketball stats, and one of the reasons (probably one of the smaller ones) why I think “efficient scoring”, in and of itself, is very overrated.

Owen, really? I may have been off by about 6-8 games, but it looks like Melo will make a pretty good run at 600TS the final 18 games of the year. (And no he certainly won’t finish with a higher TS than Harden in the second half, so you did get me there.)

Also, for whatever it’s worth, I and Juany, occasionally Abbey, were the ones talking about this exact run the Knicks are on — I didn’t think it would be possible for a team with Chandler and Melo to not make one after the start they had.

What to you was “optimistic” or whatever then was actually just a reasonable, thought-out prediction.

Also, it’s one thing to say Melo’s scoring has never been among the elite from an efficiency perspective, but it’s false to say he hasn’t been an effiicent scorer, especially for his usage, for most of his career.

That’s why it’s really difficult for me to treat you as anything other than a troll. When was the last time you made a good/interesting post?

The more the Knicks win, it seems, the less interest you have in serious discussion of the team. I wonder why that is?

It’s fine if you disagree with me. Don’t throw out red herrings and ignore the substance of my arguments, especially after the things I’ve talked about having mostly come true.

Again, if you start to study the trends with Melo, every new iteration of the team he plays on there’s an adjustment period and his numbers suffer.
From the time his game initially developed in year three to Allen Iverson, then Chauncey Billups, and to now going back to one man show.

I don’t put a whole lot of stock into his Denver numbers last year. But his general efficiency numbers follow that trend very strongly in three disparate team phases and models. It will still take time for Melo to adjust to Lin and Stoudemire, but I’m quite confident he’ll have his most efficient seasons — barring injury– the next few years with a point guard that gets into the lane and the spacing to fit it.

Funny, the people that complain about Lin not rushing back from injury are the same people who wanted Lin to come off the bench behind BD and playing less. Now they just can’t wait to have him back on the team.

Spree8:
Funny, the people that complain about Lin not rushing back from injury are the same people who wanted Lin to come off the bench behind BD and playing less. Now they just can’t wait to have him back on the team.

Thank you both for these posts. You have articulated my thoughts exactly.

Some people are just very very subtle with their anti-Lin sentiments.

New poster, long time lurker here. I just couldn’t help myself and I registered so I can comment. Some of the comments here are just unbelievable towards Lin. He has done so much for this team and yet some people dare to imply that he is selfish. Selfish. My goodness. I am personally offended by this. My brain tells me I shouldn’t since I don’t know Lin personally. But I really am offended by people calling him selfish.

You know who’s selfish? People who don’t care if an athlete might ruin his career by playing even if he is not at 100% just as long as their team wins games. I bet if Lin comes back and play even if he is not at 100% and he plays poorly, these people would be the first to complain that he sucks and should benched.

androgyny:
You know who’s selfish?People who don’t care if an athlete might ruin his career by playing even if he is not at 100% just as long as their team wins games.I bet if Lin comes back and play even if he is not at 100% and he plays poorly, these people would be the first to complain that he sucks and should benched.

Exactly, and you would think people will be grateful for what this kid has done for the organization when he basically had to carry the team back to the .500 mark (averaging 40mins per game) while our superstars “max” players are out resting from injuries. Funny, nobody complains then or question one’s mental toughness.

I love guys who say, “I had the same surgery Lin had and I was playing ball three weeks later,” as if there is no difference between shooting hoops at the local Y with a bunch of other 5’9″ guys who were like the sixth man on their mediocre high school team 15 years ago and playing with and against the most talented and highly conditioned athletes on the planet earth. The vast vast vast majority of us would look like total fools if we ever even got to run up and down the court with a bunch of NBA bench-warmers. If Jeremy Lin and the coaching/training staff don’t think that he is ready to play, I kind of believe them.

4,5, and 6 seeds are at least within reach now. Suddenly a 1st round match up with bulls or heat doesn’t seem so certain. Plus they could have Lin back for the second round. The playoffs suddenly got a lot more exciting.

David Crockett: Lin’s exact words were, “Can’t jump. Can’t cut,” regarding his attempts to play through the injury. These words were true of Al Harrington when he came to the league. They will likely be stenciled onto his tombstone.

Just for the record, I think the efficiency thing might be a little over rated. Seems like the most efficient players are the ones that only do certain things well and don’t try to do anything else.

For example, I love Tyson Chandler. Needless to say, he’s my hero, but maybe the team might be better if his shooting percentage was a little lower. I mean, he pretty much only catches lobs. If he had a couple of post moves in a game and maybe popped one or two ten to fifteen foot shots, his percentages might go down, but the defense might have more to think about and there might be more space for shooters.

We’ve seen Landry hurt the team all year with his excellent efficiency. Tons of possessions where he had a good look and ended up forcing someone else, most times Melo, to take a contested one late in the clock.

I think you have to literally throw out about 5 misses in a typical Carmelo Anthony box score. This guy has won me over despite all the negativity I’ve seen here. He’s Eli Manning-esque. Top talent, big heart, no fear.

I haven’t said anything about Lin coming back, but no one is 100 percent at this point, certainly not Baron, so that’s not a good argument.

and exactly, danvt. again, NY’s current blueprint is that of the Mutumbo/Iverson Sixers, bulk shots from Melo and Smith off the bench and stifling D. the better your team’s D is, the less important the efficiency of your primary scorer/s is.

There’s one thing I don’t get about Hollinger’s ranking system. While the whole point of the system is to allow us to judge the quality of a team without just looking at their record, it uses W-L record to assess strength of schedule. Why not use the team’s Hollinger rank at the time of the matchup to assess the contribution to SOS. (Case in point: We’re the #5 ranked team in the league, but we don’t really contribute much to other teams strength of schedule down the road.)

Bruno Almeida: Anderson’s not, obviously, but I’d still take Iguodala and his contract over Carmelo.

but obviously, as long as Carmelo is playing this well, he’s not the problem, it’s Amare.

what Owen seems to think, and it’s my point of view too, is that while Anthony is playing really really well, is that sustainable?

I mean, can we really rely on a guy that has shown he can have 5-20 nights just as easily as 13-20 ones, because of the nature of his game?

18-footers sometimes go in, most of the times they don’t, and we have a focal point of our offense relying heavily on the first situation.

as long as he’s playing good defense, he’ll help a lot.. but if his defense go back to the lazy ways we witnessed sometimes during this season, we’re screwed.

Is it sustainable lol… He’s still shooting 40-50 points under his normal TS and you’re asking if it’s sustainable. BTW, all primary options have poor shooting games, and outside of Howard all shoot mostly jumpers. Melo gets inside, gets 3s and gets to the line, too.

Iggy is a due a lot of money the next two years on the deal he signed in ’08–14-16 million the next two I believe. But he’s a big moeny guy down the stretch so he’s worth it ;)

Yes, Bruno, he is THIS good. The Melo we are seeing now is the real McCoy — i.e., the guy he has been for his entire career. His performance for the first 30 games of this year was what was not sustainable.
P.S. I hated losing Gallo but, for those of you who lament giving him up for Melo, Gallo’s BEST year in shooting percentage, assists, rebounds and scoring are all worse than Melo’s worst year.

Bruno Almeida: he’s shooting 40-50 points under for the season, not for this stretch.I’m talking about if this particular stretch of games is sustainable for a full season, for example.and I won’t go into the whole down the stretch discussion, I just think it’s worthless.